These 5th graders took the Seahawks Super Bowl loss and turned it into the best lesson ever (PHOTOS)

Courtesy North Kitsap Schools



SUQUAMISH, Washington – Sometimes the best life lessons emerge in the toughest of times.

After the crushing Seahawks Super Bowl loss, two 5th grade teachers at Suquamish Elementary school in Kitsap County went back to school on Monday.

"Just as we expected, students came to school saying things like 'those refs were terrible' and 'the Patriots are cheaters,' wrote Kristy Dressler & Misty Hernandez.  "Their loyalty to The Seahawks was evident; however, we needed to clear up some misconceptions."

Courtesy North Kitsap Schools



What Dressler & Hernandez did next was nothing short of amazing.

"We used the Super Bowl as a gateway to talk about some essential ideas.  We started by talking about the importance of accepting a loss as a loss and not blaming others for it."

Then they asked their students to share the important life lessons they had learned from the game.

These are those lessons:

– No person should ever be defined by a single moment in time

– There is nothing, absolutely nothing wrong with 2nd place

– Focus on the positives, rather than dwelling on the negatives

– Teamwork is the essence to success

– Never give up- put your best effort forward and your hard work will pay off

– Don’t ever stop believing

– Always have good sportsmanship

– Create a good reputation for yourself and for your team

– Persevere through hard times

– Build each other up and support one another because you get farther that way


Courtesy North Kitsap Schools



But the teachers and the students didn't end their lesson at that point.

Instead they wisely realized that someone else might need to hear what they had learned.

Maybe the team needed to hear that even in a tragic loss these players and these coaches had been able to teach these lessons to a new generation.

So the teachers and students wrote a letter and sent it to the team.

"So thank you. Thank you for your hard work, for your dedication and commitment to the game and to your fans. Thank you for making our Sundays something to look forward to. Thank you for being role models. Thank you for the sacrifices you make. Thank you for taking us to the Super Bowl two years in a row, and for the future games you will play in."

Below is the letter the teachers sent to Coach Pete Carroll and the entire Seahawks organization as it was posted on the North Kitsap School District Facebook page.

Dear Pete Carroll and The Seattle Seahawks,

Like thousands of other fans, I was saddened by the Super Bowl loss last Sunday. I won’t deny that. My sadness was temporary, however, as I soon began to realize how many important life lessons could be taught and learned from that one game. As a school teacher, I saw opportunity.

On Monday morning, just as we expected, students came to school saying things like “those refs were terrible” and “the Patriots are cheaters”. Their loyalty to The Seahawks was evident; however, we needed to clear up some misconceptions. My teaching partner and I opened up a discussion with our 5th graders about the game. We used the Super Bowl as a gateway to talk about some essential ideas. We started by talking about the importance of accepting a loss as a loss and not blaming others for it. In fact, though it is difficult to do, sometimes we need to admit that the other team played well!

We thought you may want to know about the things that our students came away with. The following list includes the other ideas that our students came up with as important life lessons they learned from The Big Game:

– No person should ever be defined by a single moment in time

– There is nothing, absolutely nothing wrong with 2nd place

– Focus on the positives, rather than dwelling on the negatives

– Teamwork is the essence to success

– Never give up- put your best effort forward and your hard work will pay off

– Don’t ever stop believing

– Always have good sportsmanship

– Create a good reputation for yourself and for your team

– Persevere through hard times

– Build each other up and support one another because you get farther that way

So thank you. Thank you for your hard work, for your dedication and commitment to the game and to your fans. Thank you for making our Sundays something to look forward to. Thank you for being role models. Thank you for the sacrifices you make. Thank you for taking us to the Super Bowl two years in a row, and for the future games you will play in. You have given our school, our community, and the greater Seattle area something to come together about. We are Hawks’ fans- The 12’s. We parade around in blue and green and our houses and yards are adorned with flags. We have heart. We are proud.

I hope you are able to push aside any negative publicity and concentrate on the fact that there are still fans everywhere celebrating your success. WE’RE STILL IN!

Looking forward to next season already.

Sincerely,

Kristy Dressler, Misty Hernandez, and our 5th Graders at Suquamish Elementary